I’m scared. I’m scared because I think we’re losing.
The atrocities in Paris, and the ongoing violence in Syria and Lebanon and Palestine, should prompt us to come together, and organize for peace and justice. But instead, the tragic events of the past week have been hijacked by racist extremists. They’re trying to officially shut down any Federal refugee admissions program. And if they can’t get that, they’re aiming to pile enough restrictions and red tape to the programs to effectively shut them down.
On Wednesday, my colleague Michael emailed you about the slew of Governors who have caved to Islamophobic fearmongering, and vowed to ban Syrian refugees from their states.
Yesterday it got worse. In a bipartisan vote, Congress voted to add enormous roadblocks to the admission of Syrian refugees. They call it “safety” -- but we know it’s racism.
The bill is now on the way to the Senate, and as Jews and allies, we need to flood the Senate with calls today, and make it clear that we stand in solidarity with Syrian refugees.
Click here to contact your Senator -- no dialing required. Or call 510-370-0865 and we'll patch you through.
Don’t just take my word for it -- google H.R. 4038, the legislation that passed the House, and read it for yourself. The spineless politicians who voted for it claim that the legislation doesn’t block refugee resettlement -- but they want the FBI Director to personally approve every single Syrian Refugee who comes to the U.S.
Imagine if the Treasury Secretary had to personally approve every single mortgage, or the Agriculture Secretary himself had to approve every single farmer’s crops. It’s a ban on refugees, plain and simple. And this is just the beginning -- more legislation is on the way.
Click here to contact your Senator. Or, if you'd prefer, call 510-370-0865, and we'll connect you directly.
We’ve seen this before. In times of fear, our opponents have exploited people’s anxieties to whip up hatred -- with devastating consequences. The Patriot Act. The War in Iraq. Rampant Islamophobia.
We can’t let that happen again. We can’t give in to fear and hatred. We have to speak up -- and speak up now.
The most basic Jewish value -- in fact, the most basic value of every faith -- is to love thy neighbor. But that doesn’t just mean the neighbor who lives next door. It means every human being in need of our empathy, our care, and our support.
Love thy neighbor -- and stand up to political racism and xenophobia. Call the Senate right now.
Thank you for all that you do,
Rabbi Joseph Berman
Government Affairs Liaison
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